Envelope assembly



April 4, 1967 D 1, AMOR-r 3,312,385

ENVELOPE AS SEMBLY Filed April l2, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m Ln N f N m 2 m N "ii m is N INvaN-ran DoNAL d .AMoRT April 4, 1967 D. J. AMOR-r ENVELOPE AS SEMBLY Filed April l2, 1965 INvsNroE DoNALo J. Amon-r PMM 46ML'ww MAJ? 7W ATrYS.

April 4, 1967 D. J. AMORT 3,312,385

ENVELOPE ASSEMBLY Filed April 12, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet s i ATrvs.

United States Patent O 3,312,385 ENVELOPE ASSEMBLY Donald J. Amort, Melrose Park, lll., assignor to Arvey Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 447,494 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-73) This invention relates t-o a novel envelope assembly and more particularly to a continuous manifold assembly containing outer sealed envelopes and inner unsealed envelopes.

In the delivery of goods and the rendering of services t-o customers it is presently the practice to periodically prepare statements of account, insert the statement in an envelope and mail the same to the customer. In conducting a business in this manner, a considerable expenditure is incurred in preparing the statements, inserting the statements in envelopes and sealing the envelopes. Moreover, the speed of which bills are paid or replied to is greatly enhanced by the presence of a return envelope in the hands of the customer. To accomplish the latter it has been necessary to insert a return envelope with the statement vin the first envelope at an -additional expenditure of time, labor and materials. Furthermore it is often advantageous to have the statement returned with the payment or other reply. Since the statement is usually not part of the mailed envelope, or the return envelope if one is included, there is no assurance that the statement will be returned as desired.

Therefore it is one object of the present invention to provide a combined statement and sealed envelope.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an assembly suitable for automatic, rapid-speed, handling and printing which includes separable envelope units cornprising a sealed outer envelope, an unsealed inner return envelope, and a statement which is necessarily included when the inner envelope is utilized.

A further object is to provide the above assembly wherein the printing of the statement can be completed through the front of the outer sealed envelope without the said printing appearing on the front of the outer sealed envelope.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 `is a fragmentary perspective view of the manifold assembly of the present invention, the front ply being die cut for addressing.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, sectional edge View of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken -oin line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional edge View of the assembly of FIG. l taken on line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is an enlarge-d, fragmentary, sectional edge view of the assembly of FIG. l taken on line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an envelope of the present invention and a portion `of another in the assembly, with the front ply of the first envelope partially raised to show the detail thereunder.

FIG. 6 is a perspective, progressive view of an envelope of the present invention With the feed band portions separated therefrom.

FIG. 7 is a perspective rear view of the back ply of the envelope -of the present invention with feed band portions removed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective, progressive View of an envelope of the presen-t invention with the feed bands removed, the outer envelope opening strip portions separated from the envelope and the front ply separated from the back and intermediate ply-inner envelope combination.

FIG. 9 is a perspective, progressive View of the inner envelope with the closure panel folded over and against the intermediate ply to seal the inner envelope.

ICC

Referring to the drawings, the manifold assembly 10 of the present invention comprises superimposed front ply 20 and back ply 21 and an intermediate ply 22. The assembly 10 contains separable feed bands 23 and 24 formed by registered, regularly spaced apertures 25 inwardly spaced from edges 26 and 27 of the assembly and lines of perforations 28 and 29 inwardly spaced from vapertures 25. The assemblyV 10 is divided into separable sealed outer envelopes 11 by registered, envelope-defining lines of perforations 30.

Front ply 20 forms outer envelope fronts delimited by lines of perforations 30 and lines of perforations 28 and 29. Back ply 21 initially serves as the back of sealed envelopes 11 delimited by lines 28, 29' and 30 and also serves as the back of inner envelope 12 and as closure panel 13, as will hereinafter be described. Each envelope back ply 21 contains a transversely scored folding line 31 on its inward face off-set from the center of back ply 21. The portion of the back ply 21 delimited by score line 31, one line of perforations 29 an-d lines of perforations 30 serves as a closure panel 13 for sealing inner envelope 12.

Front ply 20 is adhesively affixed to back ply 21 at one side by a strip of adhesive 32 inwardly spaced from the line of perforati-ons 29. The plies 20 and 21 are each attached at their other side to intermediate ply 22 by a strip of adhesive 33 inwardly spaced from line of perforations 28.

Intermediate ply 22 is of pressure imprinting stock carrying, for example, pressure rupturable encapsulated ink, or alternatively can be -of ordinary stock if other means of printing transfer is provided, such as the reverse side of front ply 20 containing a coating of a printing or print transfer material, not shown. Ply 22 is positioned between front ply 20 and back ply 21 and extends from edge 26 opposite closure panel 13 to the score line 31. Ply 22 is adhesively attached to the inward face of back ply 21 on three sides as will be hereinafter described. Ply 22 is not attached at its edge parallel -to and -adjacent score line 31 thus forming an open ended receptacle between ply 22 and back ply 21.

Registered lines of perforations 34 and 35 are provided in each ply spaced apart from lines 28 and 29, respectively, and adhesive strips 32 and 33 to permit opening of the sealed outer envelopes 11 by tearing off the strips between lines 28 and 34 and lines 29 and 35 thus releasing front ply 20 from the back ply 21 and intermediate ply 22. i

Although ply 22 can be adhesively affixed to front ply 20 and back ply 21 by either strips of adhesive or by spots of adhesive, it is preferred to aiiix ply 22 to back ply 21 by strips of adhesive 36 inwardly spaced from lines of perforations 30 and a strip of adhesive 37 inwardly spaced from line of perforations 34, and to front ply 20 only along lines 3) by adhesive spots, such as 38. It is further preferred to form apertures 39 in intermediate ply 22 and to use spots of adhesive 40 within the apertures to aix the front ply 20 directly to back ply 21. In this manner intermediate ply 22, which may be thinner than the other plies, is less likely to be damaged by tearing when the front ply 2i) is separated from the back ply 21 by pulling apart at the spots of adhesive.

Panel 13 also contains a strip of adhesive 41 on the interior face of back ply 21 positioned inwardly of line of perforations 35. Strip of adhesive 41 is utilized to seal the inner envelope 12 upon folding panel 13 over and against intermediate ply 22. To facilitate its use, strip of adhesive 41 is preferably of the dry adhesive type, such that the adhesive does not cause adhering until it is moistened. Alternatively, strip 41 can be of the selfseal adhesive type, such that the adhesive only adheres when it comes into contact with a similar strip positioned on the mating surface of ply 22.

3 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention front ply 20 is provided with a suitable aperture, such as die cut 42 for addressing the intermediate ply 22 directly, suitable for mailing, and exposing the address through the die cut. Alternatively an imperforate front ply 2@ can be printed with addressing indicia and suc'n information will also be imprinted on ply 22 due to the printing or printing transfer means contained in the assembly.

In a typical use of the assembly of the present invention, back ply 21 is printed on its outward face with return address indicia, as shown in FIG. 9. Back ply 21 can also'be imprinted with instructional indicia on its inward face at panel'13. Intermediate ply 22 can be imprinted With suitable indicia, such as a statement form and return mailing indicia, as shownV in FIG. 8. Front ply 20 can be imprinted with mailing indicia and also die cut for addressing as shown in FIGS. 1, and 6. The plies can be assembled, adhesively attached `and perforated on automatic rotary collating equipment to form the assembly shown in FIG. l. To use the assembly in sending out periodic statements of account, the assembly is -printed preferably by automatic machine to address the front ply and complete the statement of account, i.e. the indicia on intermediate ply 22. In the latter instance it is usually desirable that the statement indicia not appear on the front ply 20. This can be done by impressing the indicia onto the assembly through ply 20 and having the indicia appear only on ply 22 by means of the printing or printing transfer means incorporated into the assembly 10, vsuch as ply 22 being of pressure imprinting stock.

The completed assembly 1t) is separated into sealed envelopes 11 by separating at lines of perforations 30 and removing the feed bands by separating the feed bands from the envelopes 11 at lines of perforations 28 and 29. The envelopes 11 are stamped by hand or metered stamping apparatus and the envelopes 11 mailed to the customer.

Upon receipt, the customer opens the envelope 11 by tearing off the strips containing the strips of adhesive 32 and 33 by separating them from'the envelope at lines of perforations 35 and 34 respectively, and by pulling otf front ply 20, disclosing the statement on intermediate ply 22. The customer can then insert pay-ment or other matter into the open-ended receptacle formed by intermediate ply 22 ,and back ply 21, moisten adhesive stripV 41, if the latter is of the dry adhesive type, fold panel V13 about scored line 31 and thus seal inner envelope 12.

Return address'information can next be placed on the back side of panel 13, now overlying intermediate ply 22, a stamp suitably aiiixed to the inner envelope 12 and the latter mailed to the address printed on the exposed portion of ply` 22;

In this manner the mailing ofthe statement and return of the payment is facilitated by eliminating laborious hand completing and stuffing of the statement in the envelope, by havinga return envelope in the hands of the customer, and by causing the statement to be returned to the payee with the payment.

The above is believed to be the best embodiments of the present invention. However, numerous changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention, respecially as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a manifold assembly, a plurality of elongated rectangular envelopes comprised of adhesively joined face JOSEPH R.

and back paper plies, top and bottom defining edges of adjacent envelopes being joined and seve'rable along lines of perforation, an opposed pair of outermost side edge strip portions on said assembly extending transversely of said envelopes and formed with feed apertures, an opposed pair of parallel inner side edge strip portions joined and severable along lines of perforation from both said envelopes and said outermost strips, the back plies of said envelopes being each formed with a transverse, offcenter score line dividing the envelope back ply into a long and relatively shorter portion, and an intermediate ply on each envelope overlying said long back portions and adhesively secured thereto along three edges and open at said score line, the total number of plies present in each envelope being three.

2. In a manifold assembly, a plurality of elongated rectangular envelopes comprised of adhesively joined face and back paper plies, top and bottom defining edges of adjacent envelopes being joined and severable along lines of perforation, an opposed pair of outermost side edge strip portions on said assembly extending transversely of said envelopes and .formed with feed apertures, an opposed pair of parallel inner side edge strip portions joined and severable along lines of perforation from both said envelopes and said outermost strips, the back plies of said envelopes being each formed with a transverse, off-center score line dividing the envelope back ply into a long and relatively shorter portion, an intermediateiply on each envelope overlying said long back portions and adhesively secured thereto along three edges and open at said score line, and means disposed between said face and intermediate plies for selectively imprinting said intermediate ply through said face ply, the total number of plies present in each envelope being three.

3. A rectangular envelope comprised of adhesively spot joined, separable face and back paper plies, an opposed pair of parallel inner side edge strip portions joined and severable along lines of perforation from said envelopes, the back ply of said envelope being formed with a transverse, olf-center score line dividing the envelope back ply into a long and relatively shorter portion, an intermediate ply on said envelope overlying said long back portion and adhesively secured thereto along three edges and open at said score line, means carried by said intermediate ply for selectively imprinting it through said iface ply, and adhesive means carried by the inner face of said back ply disposed on the outer edge portion of saidrelatively shorter portion for sealing the pocket formed by the intermediate ply after separation of said face ply, the total number of plies present in each envelope being three.

4. The envelope of claim 3 Where there is an aperture in the long portion of the face ply through which an address ycan be directly printed on the intermediate ply.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1941 Sherman 282-115 3/ 1947 Baluk 229-73 7/ 1959 Cone 229-73 11/ 1962 Rabenold 229-73 9/ 1963 Steidnger 229-69 11/ 1963 Schumacher 229-73 10/1965 Chamberlain 282-115 LECLAIR, Primary Examiner, DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Examiner. 

1. IN A MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED RECTANGULAR ENVELOPES COMPRISED OF ADHESIVELY JOINED FACE AND BACK PAPER PLIES, TOP AND BOTTOM DEFINING EDGES OF ADJACENT ENVELOPES BEING JOINED AND SEVERABLE ALONG LINES OF PERFORATION, AN OPPOSED PAIR OF OUTERMOST SIDE EDGE STRIP PORTIONS ON SAID ASSEMBLY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID ENVELOPES AND FORMED WITH FEED APERTURES, AN OPPOSED PAIR OF PARALLEL INNER SIDE EDGE STRIP PORTIONS JOINED AND SEVERABLE ALONG LINES OF PERFORATION FROM BOTH SAID ENVELOPES AND SAID OUTERMOST STRIPS, THE BACK PLIES OF SAID ENVELOPES BEING EACH FORMED WITH A TRANSVERSE, OFFCENTER SCORE LINE DIVIDING THE ENVELOPE BACK PLY INTO A LONG AND RELATIVELY SHORTER PORTION, AND AN INTERMEDIATE PLY ON EACH ENVELOPE OVERLYING SAID LONG BACK PORTIONS AND ADHESIVELY SECURED THERETO ALONG THREE EDGES AND OPEN AT SAID SCORE LINE, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PLIES PRESENT IN EACH ENVELOPE BEING THREE. 